Still only 26, Mamadou Sakho’s career has been, much like the Liverpool defender himself, a riddle wrapped up in an enigma.

Back in 2005, he was seen as something of a prodigy, a part of the Paris Saint-Germain under-18 side that won the national championship - despite being only 15.

Two years later he was tipped in some quarters as a future France captain, having been thrust into the PSG first team and handed the No.3 shirt.

And back when Le Parisiens were’t quite the PSG of today, with a global outlook backed by Qatari riches, Sakho was handed the captain’s armband at the Parc des Princes - albeit as a political move by then-boss Paul Le Guen.

Not long after, he landed his first trophy - the Coupe de la Ligue - and at 20 he made his full France debut, having captained the under-21s, while also earning a spot in the Ligue 1 team of the year.

Mamadou Sakho during his time at PSG (Image: Dean Mouhtaropoulos)

But having been tipped as a cornerstone for the French side as they moved into a new era under Qatar Sports Investments, handed the captain’s armband by then-boss Anthony Koumbouare, things started to unravel with the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti.

After seeing his early performances questioned by the Italian, Sakho was dropped and stripped of the captaincy, seeing Milan Bisevac and ex-Chelsea defender Alex become Ancelotti’s first-choice defensive pairing. The arrival of big-money Brazilian Thiago Silva saw Sakho fall further down the pecking order, while his desire was questioned by sporting director Leonardo.

Sakho quickly fell out of favour at PSG after the arrival of Qatari money (Image: Reuters)

As such, far from being the leader of PSG into a brave new era, Sakho was shuffled out and moved on to Liverpool for £16million, with Brendan Rodgers believing he had a steal.

"Sakho is an experienced player, he has senior international caps and looks an absolute monster in training,” Rodgers declared after the Frenchman’s first sessions at Melwood.

"He is one who is ready for now and that is what we want. “We had a chance to protect the club for maybe the next 10 years and that is what we have done.”

Sakho in action against Everton last season - Brendan Rodgers' final game (Image: Nigel French/PA Wire)

Fast forward to 2017, and Sakho is now persona non grata at Anfield. He may have upgraded his shirt number from 17 to No.3 in the summer, but Jurgen Klopp has washed his hands of the defender, who has not been used all season.

Sakho played a pivotal role in the club’s Europa League quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund last March, but saw his season ended by a UEFA investigation into his use of a fat-burner. While the case would be dismissed in July, Liverpool weren’t happy that Sakho, now 26, had taken a product without the medical team’s consent.

After that, the incident in America, on the club’s pre-season tour, where he turned up late for the flight, a team meeting and a recovery session was, combined, the final straw for Klopp.

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to playTap to play

The video will start in 8Cancel

Play now

“We have some rules and we have to respect them. If somebody doesn’t respect it, or somebody gives me the feeling he is not respecting it, then I have to react, that’s all.”

His reaction has been to cast the Frenchman aside completely, with the German lacking trust in Sakho and his reaction to reporters' questions about the player's future in December spoke volumes: "Nothing has changed."

Joel Matip is the club’s first choice defender, Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren are seen as reliable and Joe Gomez is the club’s future.

Handed a new five-year deal last week, Klopp is a major fan of the ex-Charlton youngster and believes he’ll be first-choice at Anfield; his faith in Gomez a key reason why he hasn’t delved into the transfer market for a new centre-half this month.

Klopp has no intention of bringing Sakho back into the fold (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

While Klopp had no need for him, there were suitors elsewhere. Sakho has no interest in joining big-spending Marseille due to his PSG connections, but AC Milan have looked and Mario Balotelli has called for his pal to join him at Nice, Ligue 1’s unlikely title contenders.

As the transfer deadline approached, both Southampton and Crystal Palace were keen. The Eagles opened talks and Sakho travelled to London ahead of a prospective deadline day move. However, with Liverpool wanting a permanent sale in the region of £20million and Sakho’s £100,000-a-week wages, the price was prohibitive.

Sakho still has suitors - despite only playing Under-23 football this term (Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Thus, after wasting six months playing reserve team football, concessions have been made for Sakho to attempt to get his career back on track.

He may not want to depart, having immersed himself on Merseyside, an ambassador for the club's foundation who has volunteered with local charities and also helped teach French to pupils. In short, he's hardly a rotten apple.

Palace have handed Liverpool £2million and will pay the defender's salary until the end of the season.

At Crystal Palace he'll get the chance to play, and must show his desire, fitness and quality, before re-evaluating in the summer. His Anfield career is over, and now it's about making right choices, on the field for the rest of the season and then beyond.